A curated community board for freelance illustrators and comic creators

Weekly Roundup – January 5, 2017

Hello, and happy new year! Welcome again to another Weekly Roundup. In the Weekly Roundup, I provide links and summarized information about the crowdfunded projects, creator opportunities, and resources that have caught my eye over the week. I hope you enjoy!

As a note: I am not sponsored by any company, group, or individual listed below or elsewhere on this site unless otherwise listed.

Helping Others

Looking for inspiration or encouragement? Check out the #smallacts hashtag on twitter. Thank you Celeste Ng for encouraging such an awesome movement!

If you are a trans person in need of legal assistance, many people are offering services pro bono. Check the hashtag #TransLawHelp on Twitter or at translawhelp.org.

If you need to talk to someone or otherwise vent, please utilize this list of help hotlines.

Take care and take your time. Your work is more important than ever. Thank you for sharing your originality and openness with the world. You bring light to the days of others, and it is so, so appreciated.

Awards

Crowdfunded Projects

Nerve Endings: The New Trans Erotic is running a Kickstarter to pay its 30 contributors and fund the production of the anthology. Nerve Endings seeks to give writers connected to the trans community the opportunity to discuss sensuality and eroticism on their own terms, rather than through the “by cis people, for cis people” model often featured in popular fictions about trans people. Tier options include ebook and paperback versions of the book, Launch Party digital and VIP invites, additional e-zines and audio stories, poems, smut short stories, illustrations, beautiful handcrafted earrings, and more. The Kickstarter ends January 7, 2017.

Universal Fan Con is running a Kickstarter to raise funds for a new inclusive convention in Baltimore in 2018. Tier options include weekend passes to the convention, photo opportunities with celebrities, hotel rooms for the convention, and more. The Kickstarter ends on January 12, 2017.

Nameless Woman: An Anthology of Fiction by Trans Women of Color is running a Kickstarter to fund the production of the anthology and future works. The anthology will feature new and previously published fiction by trans women of color, paying each $100. Tier options include print and digital copies of Nameless Woman and poetry books by Jamie Berrout. The Kickstarter ends on January 15, 2017.

[Super]Natural Attraction is running a Kickstarter to fund the production of the digital comic. The story focuses on college student Persephone, who is killed in a hit-and-run and then revived by her med student room mate. Once revived, she can see the supernatural creatures on her campus and uses her newfound skill to assist a local monster hunter. Tier options include wallpapers, tutorials, concept art, commissions, cameos, and additional comics. The Kickstarter ends January 17, 2017.

Serving Pride: The Queer History Dinner Party Handbook is running a Kickstarter to fund its production. To quote the Kickstarter: “In the model of the Passover Haggadah, Serving Pride will guide a group of dinner guests through a ritual meal where history is retold through readings, songs, games, recipes, and artwork.” Tier options include physical and digital copies of the final product, posters, and hardcover copies. The Kickstarter ends February 3, 2017.

Animation

Here is a survey for Women Professionals in Animation. If you work in animation and identify as a woman, please submit your anonymous information to this survey to inform and assist current and future animators.

You can find a directory of currently open animation jobs at animatedjobs.com! Companies like DHX Media, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and others have a number of open full-time, part-time, and freelance positions available, including social media, editing, and teaching.

Jerry’s Art-A-Rama is hosting a number of art contests, some ongoing and some requiring specific materials. Check what’s open and see if you can qualify.

Passion Fruit Anthology, a queer erotica anthology to be released by Beyond Press, will begin accepting submissions in February 2017. Sign up to be notified with information here. More information is expected to post on January 10.

State of the Union, an upcoming digital zine featuring black and white color illustrations, comics, prose, poetry, and more, is accepting submissions until January 13. The zine will be available for free online. Donated proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Weekly Shonen Magazine and MediBang are hosting a manga contest! Submit your completed comic by January 12 for the chance to have your work reviewed by Weekly Shonen Magazine editors. Simply post your comic of 50 pages or less and MediBang will translate it. Winners will have an editor assigned to them to help develop your comic further. Grand prize winners will also be published in Weekly Shonen Magazine’s manga app Magazine Pocket.

Little, Brown’s Emerging Artist Award is accepting entries until January 15. Submitted mockups should invoke the diversity and rich cultural experiences in America. Potential prizes include $2500 in American Express gift cards, round trip travel to New York City, and a one-day mentorship with the Little, Brown book design and editorial team and Jerry Pinkney.

Nature and Humans: A Comic Anthology is accepting comic submissions until January 30. Final submissions will need to be between 4-8 pages and in full color. Payment for art to be determined be funds raised through crowdfunded after the book is printed and shipped.

Another Closet, a collection of poetry, fiction, comics, and essays by queer + trans folks and/or survivors living with addiction, is accepting submissions until January 31. Anonymity can be requested.

Level-8 Comics is hosting a Design a Character competition for creators ages 5-15 until January 31. Design one hero and one villain to be drawn and featured in issue 1 of Late Knights: A Sense of Steel.

Draw Your Own Hero and to @PREVIEWSworld with hashtag #PREVIEWShero for a chance to win a series of How to Draw books and an appearance in a future appearance of PREVIEWS. Submit by January 31.

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love is accepting applications until February 1. About 10 applications will be accepted into the anthology, to be paid $50 per page with potential bonuses. Final submissions should be gothic romance comics 1-10 pages in length.

Swan Song is accepting submissions for their music-themed anthology until February 1. Submissions must be in full color and contributors must have previously lived in or currently live in British Columbia. Submissions should be up to 9 pages in length, and contributors will be paid $50/page.

The Silent Manga Audition is holding an “extra” round titled Kumamoto Round 2017. The theme is “to bring as much smiles and laughter” to the people of Kumamoto, an island affected by the earthquakes in April 2016. submit a 5-17 page comic by February 15 for the chance to win a trip to Japan, workshops, and a SEJ011 watch.

Hellcat Press is accepting applications for their upcoming Tales from the Public Domain anthology until February 28. Creative teams will be paid $20 for up to ten pages of black and white work and will retain copyright of their work.

The Silent Manga Audition announced its seventh run of its worldwide dialogue-free comic competition. The theme is “unforgettable taste.” Entries are due by March 31.

The Trans Lifeline Benefit Anthology is accepting submissions of writing and illustration. Stories must be fanwork for a work in the public domain and have a hopeful or happy ending. 100% of proceeds will be donated to Trans Lifeline. Submissions are due by March 31.

Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic that previously published Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, Jeff Smith’s Bone, and Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet, is accepting submissions for graphic novelists creating works for children and teens. Visit their site for more information. The deadline to apply is April 1.

Mentorships

The Representation Matters Mentorship Program is accepting applications from self-identified people of color interested in the publishing industry. Mentorships will last 6 months, with a minimum of one session every two months.

Music

@JkaplanAW is searching for a composer for a future yuri visual novel project. Ideally the composer would be comfortable creating music stylistically somewhere between jazz and classical, making use of acoustic guitar and piano.

Residencies, Retreats, and Workshops

The VCCA is accepting applications for their fellowships and residencies until January 15. The residencies seek to provide a space for LGBTQ people, veterans, American citizens of Lation and/or African descent, and people from the mid-Atlantic states working in a variety of disciplines of the arts. Check the VCCA’s Special Programs page for more information on each of the fellowships.

Voice Acting

Writing and Editing

Tor is accepting submissions of fantasy novellas between 20,000 and 40,000 words. The story’s world must be one not modeled on European cultures. Submissions close January 12, 2017. Tor is also accepting pitches for essays, think pieces, reviews, and similar content with a final length of 1000 to 2000 words.

State of the Union, an upcoming digital zine featuring black and white color illustrations, comics, prose, poetry, and more, is accepting submissions until January 13. The zine will be available for free online. Donated proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Sinister Wisdomis accepting written submissions from “womyn who self-identify as black lesbians.” Editors are particularly interested in work that discusses the diversity of black lesbian experiences. Submit by January 21 for consideration.

Lambda Literary Writer’s Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices is accepting applications until January 30. 12 students per workshop spend a week attending intensive classes, workshops, and lectures featuring reknowned voices in modern queer storytelling, such as Malinda Lo and Phillip Howze, and other publishing industry professionals.

Another Closet, a collection of poetry, fiction, comics, and essays by queer + trans folks and/or survivors living with addiction, is accepting submissions until January 31. Anonymity can be requested.

The Trans Lifeline Benefit Anthology is accepting submissions of writing and illustration. Stories must be fanwork for a work in the public domain and have a hopeful or happy ending. 100% of proceeds will be donated to Trans Lifeline. Submissions are due by March 31.

The newly launched Argot Magazine is seeking submissions about queer and marginalized experiences. Click here for more on their mission as well as their pay rates.

Beyond the Binary is seeking non-binary contributors, prioritizing people of color, low income people, and disabled people.

Online monthly magazine The Dark is accepting submissions from 2000 to 6000 words in length. Encouraged genres include horror and dark fantasy, but graphic, violent horror is not desired. Payment is $0.03/word for up to 6000 words. Republishing payment is $0.01/word.

Random House’s digital-only imprint Hydra has open submissions for completed works in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror categories. There is no word count limit for submissions, but full-length works of 40,000 words or more are preferred. Accepted writers will be assigned to a Random House editor, marketer, and publicist. Response time is usually 2-4 weeks.

Pink Narcissus Press is seeking complete novel and novella manuscripts of 50,000 words or more. They are interested in well-written but non-mainstream speculative fiction with strong elements of sci-fi or fantasy.

Becca Hillburn is not only a provider of extensive, honest, and high-quality product reviews and tutorials, she’s a full-time comic artist and illustrator passionate about children’s lit and helping others. Check out her store, her book, or her Patreon and send her a “thank you” message if you can!

That’s it for this week! Look out for another post next week with these categories and possibly more. Is there something you’d like to see more of? Something you know about but don’t see here? Comments and suggestions as this year comes to a close and a new one begins? Let me know!